Star Trek: Hope Among the Stars
by Basketballgirl Kaitlin
Summary: Scotty's grief slowly drives him mad, when Sabrina is pronounced dead in a terrible Engineering Room fire, until Spock finds evidence that could possibly mean Sabrina is still alive. (with Baby Julia)
1. Chapter 1

Chief Engineering Officer, Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott, was busy at the control panel in the Engineering Room. He was testing out the heating vents after spending two days of meticulous repairs to them. They had broke down and caused the ship to be severely cold in some areas.

After turning the key, the heater turned on, but it was still making an irritable rattling, shaking noise. Scotty turned the heater off and stood their staring at the control panel. He was perplexed as to what was causing the disturbance. He and a co. worker of his had taken the entire heater apart and put it back together. They were sure it would be in working condition again.

"Hmmm...I _just_ can't understand it," Scotty said to himself. "What's causing this thing to make such a noise?" The engineer got down on his knees and was about to crawl underneath the control panel to check for anything out of place, when his fiancée, Lieutenant Sabrina Medford, walked over to him. She smiled at him and crossed her arms.

Sabrina had light brown/reddish hair and brown eyes. She, too, worked with engineering and security.

As Scotty was about to disappear underneath the machine, he noticed black boots and legs in black nylons. He looked up and saw Sabrina standing there. He smiled and got to his feet.

"Well," He stated cheerful. "How are yah, darling?"

Scotty and Sabrina kissed one another gently, then Sabrina spoke.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just tryin' to get this here's heater to start working again."

"Thing's _still_ not fixed?"

"I don't know what to do about it, Sabrina. I took the thing completely apart and put it back together. It keeps making this terrible rattlin' noise, though."

"I don't know what to tell you, sweetheart. You're the mechanic genius; not me."

Scotty smiled. He walked over closer to his future wife and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"No, but you're a genius at being my future wife," Scotty said softly.

Both of them stared into each others eyes, mesmerized by them, when they noticed one of Scotty's men were standing in front of them watching. They turned to look at him slowly.

"Do yah mind, lad? Having a moment here," Scotty said, slightly irritated.

The young engineer walked off to another part of the room, leaving the two once again to themselves.

"Do you have an idea on what it might be?" Sabrina asked.

"Not a darn thing. I think I've replaced every single part in that heater with new ones, and the thing's _still_ giving me trouble." Scotty answered sour.

Sabrina smiled and gave Scotty a kiss on the cheek. The Scotsman grinned and turned to look at Sabrina again.

"Well, that made me feel a bit better," Scotty said softly.

After exchanging a few more words, Scotty and Sabrina kissed one another 'goodbye' and headed back to their assigned positions. Scotty sighed as he turned back to look at the control panel. He got down on the ground and crawled underneath the panel to continue looking for something he might have missed...for the seventieth time.

* * *

Captain James T. Kirk walked casually through the halls as he made a routine check of all decks. He was stopped by his science officer and second in command, Mr. Spock, leaving the science lab with papers in his hands. The Vulcan was scanning over them and reading his observations and results.

Captain Kirk smiled and made his way over to Spock.

"Mr. Spock; how are we today?" Captain Kirk asked friendly.

"Fine, Captain. And yourself?" Spock questioned.

"Oh, as well as anyone can be for an average day. How's your research coming along?"

"Fine, Captain. From what the evidence of my experiments and research have reported, the fire on the USS Erada was caused from a faulty heating system. It was not taken care of properly by the Chief Engineering Officer which caused the pipes to overheat and break out into flames."

"How positive is the evidence?"

"As of now, 67.2% accurate. I must do further research, though, in order to confirm my hypothesis and data I have so far gathered."

"Spock, just a question," Captain Kirk began. "Where exactly did the fire start on the ship?"

"Unknown, Captain. So far, the most damage the fire did to the ship seems to be on the lower decks of the ship and the Engineering Room. My hypothesis suspects one of those two areas is where the fire began."

"It's horrible, Spock. Over 395 men and women lost their lives due to that fire. I believe the only few people to survive were the captain and those who were on the Bridge at the time it took place while those on the top decks put out the fire and saved those they could find. Even some of _them_ didn't survive, either."

"Unfortunate, but expected, Captain."

"I suppose, Spock." There was a brief moment of silence before Captain Kirk changed to a more happier topic of discussion. He sighed and gave a small smile. "Why don't we go see how our friend, Dr. McCoy, is taking fatherhood again?"

Dr. Leonard McCoy had a newborn baby, a daughter, after going under special treatment on Spock's home planet, Vulcan. The old doctor had grown ornery and upset with the fact of not having a child. His oldest daughter from a previous marriage, Joanna, was back on earth living with her mother and stepfather.

Spock nodded.

"If that is what you wish to do, Captain." The Vulcan simply answered.

Captain Kirk smiled and with that, the two top in command headed down to the turbo lift to go to deck three, where their best friend's quarters was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Dr. McCoy was bouncing and rocking his fussing newborn daughter, Julia, around the room. After the first case of fussing and finding his daughter's face looked like she was in pain, he had his friend and currently acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Geoffrey M'Benga, check out his daughter. He had grown worried that something was medically wrong with his newborn. It turned out little Julia had colic, which caused stomach sickness in newborns and made them cry more than other babies.

As Dr. McCoy continued to hush and rock Julia to stop her from crying, his door buzzed and turned to look at it. His hair was slightly messy and had dark circles around his eyes from the lack of sleep.

Captain Kirk and Spock walked in and saw how sleep deprived their friend looked and probably felt, too.

"Bones," Captain Kirk gasped. "What happened here?"

Dr. McCoy turned to face his two friends, as he continued rocking and swaying with little Julia crying in his arms.

"Julia has colic. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in almost four days, now." Dr. McCoy grumbled, trying to stay awake. He worried of collapsing while holding Julia from exhaustion.

"Bones, why don't you let one of us take care of Julia for a while. You need your sleep, or you're gonna collapse from sleep deprivation." Captain Kirk urged, feeling bad for his friend. He hardly got enough sleep as it was being Chief Medical Officer; being off work and now having to take care of a colic baby was pushing it too far.

"Jim, you and Spock have too much already on your plates. I can handle Julia by myself." Dr. McCoy growled. He did not mean to be harsh, but being so sleep deprived was making him more than irritable.

"We're alright, Bones. Trust me; I'll take Julia for only a couple hours and bring her back to you after you have gotten a well deserved rest, I promise," Captain Kirk said. He wanted to help his best friend deeply and hoped Dr. McCoy would let him.

Dr. McCoy sighed and looked down at his now sleeping daughter. As much as he just wanted to hand Julia over and sleep for the next three days, he felt a sudden pang in his chest. Something inside him did not want to hand over Julia. In a way, he would miss getting up to take care of her and being up with her late at night, holding her and rocking her close in his arms. As he kept looking down at his angel, it became harder for him to hand Julia over.

"Jim…" Dr. McCoy began softly. "...I'll miss her."

Captain Kirk gave a soft smile.

"She won't be gone forever, Bones. I promise I'll bring her back in a couple hours. You need your rest, though." Captain Kirk urged.

Dr. McCoy closed his eyes, then he gently nodded. His body was growing heavy and the scarring on his belly from where he had surgery to deliver Julia was beginning to burn. He willingly handed over Julia to Captain Kirk gently.

"Careful of her head, Jim." Dr. McCoy begged.

"I got her, Bones; don't worry," Captain Kirk said softly.

Dr. McCoy sighed and started to walk to his bed, when he began to collapse. Spock was quick and caught him before hitting the ground. With Spock's assistance, the two of them made it to Dr. McCoy's bed. After taking his medicine to help with the pain from his scarring, Dr. McCoy lay down on his bed and soon enough had fallen asleep.

Spock made his way back to the young captain and the two of them left silently with Julia, making sure not to wake up Dr. McCoy.

* * *

Captain Kirk and Spock were in the Vulcan's quarters talking with one another. Helmsman Hikaru Sulu was currently taking command of the Bridge ordered by the Captain himself. The two had another hour before heading back to take their next shift.

Captain Kirk sat on Spock's bed cradling Julia tight and secure in his arms, as Spock sat at his desk with his computer on. He had been researching more on his findings from the research and experiments he had done in the science lab earlier.

"Spock, approximately how many people were on board the USS Erada?" Captain Kirk asked, back on the subject of the ship that was mostly destroyed from a traumatic fire.

"Approximately 417 crewmen on board, Captain. Both being men and women varying in age such as the Enterprise." Spock reported.

"Do you know what in the heater cause the fire, yet?"

"Negative, Captain; all I know is that it was not properly taken care of by the Chief Engineering Officer on board. The man was 25 years old and a recent graduate from Starfleet Academy and still learning from experienced engineers."

"Did the Chief Medical Officer survive, Spock?"

"The Chief Medical Officer had gone down to the lower decks to help those that were injured and unconscious from the toxins in the air. Debris from the upper deck collapsed onto him, as he was headed for the engineering room and crushed him. He was killed instantly on impact."

"What about the second in command?"

"Unknown, Captain. He was never found when the ship returned to Earth. Either he was burned alive in the fire or managed to grab a shuttle ship on the hangar deck and departed the USS Erada before that area had been affected from the fire."

"And the Chief Engineering Officer. How did he die?"

"He went to go rescue a friend and fellow crew member in the warp core of the ship and was killed in an explosion along with the man he was trying to save and about 72 other engineers and security men in the area and surrounding ones."

"Do you think the fire could've been prevented, Spock?"

Spock was silent for a second before nodding gently.

"Yes, Captain. Had the heating system been checked over by one of the more experienced engineers after repairs, the fire would have more than likely had never taken place." The Vulcan answered simply.

Captain Kirk looked down at Julia, who was sleeping soundly in Captain Kirk's arms. He sighed sadly, as he looked at her. He hated knowing that this little, innocent newborn had to live in a universe full of danger and evil. He also knew there was plenty of good and exciting things to see and experience, as well. That seemed to cancel out all the dangers out there that Julia would one day probably have to encounter in her life. With people like himself, Spock, Scotty, and most importantly, her wonderful and courageous father, he was sure that Julia would experience ten times more happier life moments than sad and frightful ones.

Captain Kirk was about to discuss something on the more happier end of the spectrum, when he smelled something peculiar. It smelled like something burning and smoke.

"Spock," Captain Kirk began. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell what, Captain?"

Captain Kirk sniffed the air again. The smell had not vanished. "It smells like smoke."

Before Spock could answer, the emergency alarm on Spock's pager began going off. The Vulcan pushed the 'answer' button.

"Commander Spock here," Spock said calmly.

"Mr. Spock! It's Lieutenant Wild, sir," The lieutenant said with panic in his voice.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Spock asked.

"You and Captain Kirk gotta get down here to Engineering immediately! There's smoke coming from the room. I think there could be a fire in there!"

"Stay where you are, Lieutenant. The Captain and I are on our way. Spock out."

Spock ended the call and looked at Captain Kirk, who had gone pale. The young captain was praying to God that this would not end like the USS Erada did. The Vulcan seemed to sense the message and answered.

"I can assure you, Captain, that this will not be the same as the fire on the USS Erada. Mr. Scott and the others on the ship have years of experience. We have security men trained to handle fires in these situations and know how to extinguish such ones."

"I'll feel better when we get down there, Spock," Captain Kirk said, getting to his feet and clutching Julia to his chest tightly. Both he and Spock ran to the nearest turbo lift and went down to Engineering on the ninth deck of the ship.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Scotty was inside the Engineering Room trying to usher everyone out of the area. The heater overheated while he was trying to fix it again and burst into flames.

"Everyone out! All of yah, out!" Scotty yelled over the roaring flames. He coughed recklessly from inhaling all the smoke.

"Mr. Scott!" A man's voice cried.

The Chief Engineering Officer snapped his head to a corner and saw one of the new engineers, a recent college graduate, trapped in a corner filled with smoke. Scotty got onto his stomach and crawled on the ground over to him.

"Crawl on the ground, lad! You'll be able to see yer way out!" Scotty ordered, looking at the young man with sympathy.

The young engineer coughed roughly, but followed Scotty's orders and soon enough had made his way out of the room.

Scotty made one more sweep cheek to make sure no one else was inside the room. After suffering from another fit of coughing, Scotty made his way out of the room and had two security men guard the door, as they waited for the trained security men certified in putting out fires.

Scotty walked over to the young engineer sitting against the wall and coughing harshly.

"Yah alright, lad?" Scotty asked, fighting back from coughing himself.

The young engineer coughed.

"It hurts to breathe, Mr. Scott," The young engineer meekly said. He had another coughing fit.

"Dr. M'Benga will be here soon," Scotty said friendly. He rose to his feet and coughed himself. It was then Captain Kirk and Spock had made it to their destination. They were relieved to find Scotty out of the room and alright. Captain Kirk and Spock ran to him.

"Scotty! Are you alright?" Captain Kirk asked anxious.

Scotty coughed hard again. His face was smeared with sweat and tar. His hair was slightly singed, reeked of the smell of smoke, and his clothes were slightly burned and torn.

"I'm alright, Captain. It's the others I'm worried about." Scotty coughed again. He did not sound good to his friends.

"I want Dr. M'Benga to check you over, when he gets here. I don't like the sound of your cough," Captain Kirk said concerned.

Scotty tried taking in a breath of air, but his lungs felt like they were on fire trying to do so. It hurt for him to breathe, but it was worse when he began coughing. His throat felt like sandpaper.

"Where's Sabrina, Captain?" Scotty asked meekly.

"Oh, I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Maybe she took herself to Sickbay to get checked out, so you wouldn't worry about her." Captain Kirk replied.

Scotty nodded. Soon enough, Dr. M'Benga had arrived with several other medics to check out and care for the engineers. Dr. M'Benga took attention to Scotty. Shortly afterwards, the fire squad had arrived and entered into the Engineering Room wearing special suits and carrying a special hose to put out the fire.

"I'm fine, Doctor," Scotty said, shoving his friend off gently. He did not want to distract him and the other doctors from caring for the others. "The others are worse than I am."

"Mr. Scott, the others are being cared for. I need to check you out and make sure you don't have severe damage to your lungs. An engineering crew can't function without its Chief Officer," Dr. M'Benga said friendly.

"How's Sabrina?" Scotty asked, as Dr. M'Benga began scanning him.

"Sabrina," Dr. M'Benga said surprised.

"She went to Sickbay, didn't she, Doctor?"

"Sabrina isn't in Sickbay, Mr. Scott. She never checked in."

"Then where is she? She's not here, and she's not in Sickbay."

Spock was about to say something, when they heard a blood curdling shriek come from the Engineering Room. The scream belonged to a woman...and there was only one woman that worked in Engineering. Scotty's eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets and stopped breathing momentarily. He snapped his head back and began running back to the burning room.

"Scotty! No!" Captain Kirk cried. He turned to Spock and quickly handed him Julia. Then he hurried and grabbed onto his friend. He refused to lose one of his three best friends.

"Let me go, Captain!" Scotty yelled, his breathing difficulties completely forgotten about.

"Scotty, you can't go in there!"

"I've gotta, Captain! That's my fiancée in there!"

"She's gone, Scotty! Don't kill yourself trying to save her! She wouldn't want you to!"

"Sabrina! Darling, hurry!"

Scotty tried forcing himself out of Captain Kirk's grasp. His current condition was weakening him, though. He could not fight when it was so hard to breathe. He started having another coughing fit.

"Someone get her outta there! Sabrina!" Scotty bellowed. He started having a tremendous coughing fit and began having trouble breathing. He suddenly started to see black and was about to collapse to the ground. Spock and Dr. M'Benga hurried to Captain Kirk and eased Scotty down onto the ground, where he closed his eyes and passed out.

Dr. M'Benga began scanning his body and looked grim.

"His lungs are failing. I need him to get to Sickbay, stat!" Dr. M'Benga ordered.

Spock handed Captain Kirk Julia, then helped the young doctor lift the engineering officer and hurried with him to Sickbay. Captain Kirk was following right behind them and began saying a prayer that Scotty would be alright.

* * *

Captain Kirk and Spock waited in Sickbay for news on Scotty. He had been in intensive care for over two hours now and neither officer had heard anything still from Dr. M'Benga. Julia had woke up from sleeping and was suffering another colic episode. Captain Kirk was pacing and rocking her gently to try and get her to feel better.

The young captain looked up at Spock and sighed. He was worried and afraid.

"How do think Scotty's doing?" Captain Kirk asked.

"I am positive, Captain, that Dr. M'Benga is doing everything he can to try and help Mr. Scott," Spock said calmly.

"I'm gonna lose my mind, if I don't hear something soon!"

"Illogical, Captain. One can not lose their mind. It is physically impossible to lose one's mind. It is the source of the human brain, therefore would result in death immediately."

"Figure of speech, Spock."

Spock raised an eyebrow. He never could understand the reasoning for such useless phrases to use. He rather preferred if people would just say what was actually happening rather than come up with a meaningless phrase to describe it.

Lieutenant Commander Barry Giotto entered into Sickbay with two other security men behind him. Their faces withheld no expressions whatsoever. They were a blank sheet of paper.

Captain Kirk took notice after turning to walk back the other way with newborn Julia. He hurried to his Chief Security Guard to find out more about the fire that had taken place on deck nine.

"Mr. Giotto, how's the fire?" Captain Kirk asked worried.

"The fire has been put out, Captain. I have a team of security men and scientists inside the room now investigating how the fire was caused." Giotto answered.

"How bad is the damage?"

"Pretty severe, Captain. I would highly recommend stopping at the nearest Star Base for repairs. We need new equipment, dilithium crystals, and engines."

Captain Kirk swallowed a knot in his throat. He feared to ask his next question.

"Mr. Giotto...did you happen to find...is it possible that...did Miss Medford make it out of the room?"

Giotto was silent for a brief moment before answering.

"None of the firemen had reported finding anyone left behind in the Engineering Room. I suspect that she was burned alive."

Captain Kirk let out a shaky breath. What in the name of God was he going to tell Scotty? The news that Sabrina had died would simply kill the man. Scotty loved Sabrina more than he loved his own life and career. He would give it all up at any moment for Sabrina. He would have to find a gentle way of breaking the devastating news to him. Maybe Spock could help in that department. The Vulcan seemed to always know what to put into words when breaking bad news to someone.

The young captain nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Giotto. Tell Mr. Sulu to plot course to the nearest Star Base," He softly said.

Giotto nodded understanding his orders. "How's Mr. Scott?" he asked.

"I don't know. I haven't heard anything in over two hours."

Giotto looked down at the crying baby in Captain Kirk's arms and gave a sad face.

"What's wrong with poor little Julia?" The security man cooed.

"She has colic. I'm taking care of her for a few hours, while Dr. McCoy rests. Poor thing's been keeping him up through half the night."

Giotto shook his head.

"Hope your tummy's feeling better soon, Miss McCoy," Giotto said sweetly.

Julia rubbed her face with her fist and started to quiet down, but was still crying a bit.

Captain Kirk nodded and began bouncing Julia gently as Giotto left Sickbay. The young captain sighed and bent his head back to look at the ceiling. How would he break it to the Scotsman? Scotty loved that woman. He loved her more than life itself. Scotty would die for Sabrina if it meant saving her life. He turned to face Spock and hoped the Vulcan would know what to say.

"Spock," Captain Kirk said simply. He could not find the rest of the words he wanted to say. There were none, to be frank.

"Captain, it will not help Mr. Scott to recover any quicker to not be told of Miss Medford's passing." Spock answered softly.

"I know, Spock...it's just...how do you tell someone that the love of their life is gone?"

"Based off of how you humans react to such news, I would say the word you are looking for, Captain, is 'gently'."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Captain Kirk looked at Spock for a moment then nodded. It was then that Dr. M'Benga came out of the room and approached both him and Spock.

"How is he, Doctor?" Captain Kirk asked.

"He's awake, thankfully. His lungs have a lot of toxic intake and burns from the smoke. He'll have a serious case of bronchitis for a while. I'm treating him with medicine right now which should make the recovery process shorter than what it usually is," Dr. M'Benga said.

Captain Kirk nodded barely and sighed sadly.

Dr. M'Benga raised his eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Captain? You should be happy that Mr. Scott and the others have minor to no injuries at all."

"Miss Medford, Scotty's fiancée, was killed in the fire." Captain Kirk answered softly.

"How?"

"Burned alive, Doctor," Spock softly said.

Dr. M'Benga hung his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I give Mr. Scott my condolences," The young doctor said.

"I'm just trying to think of how to break him the news easy as possible," Captain Kirk said, still trying to think.

"Not even I can help Mr. Scott with recovering from grief. Those injuries have to heal on their own. Just do it gently, Captain. It'll be enough stress as it is on him."

"Can we see him?" Captain Kirk asked.

Dr. M'Benga nodded and gestured for him, Spock, and sleeping Julia to enter into the room. The two top in command entered and found Scotty lying in a bio bed in his Starfleet uniform, resting his eyes. Scotty opened his eyes slowly and looked at Captain Kirk and Spock.

Captain Kirk handed Spock Julia and made his way to Scotty's bedside and sat down beside his legs. Spock stood near the entrance swaying gently with Julia watching both men.

"How are you feeling, Scotty?" Captain Kirk asked softly.

"Tired, Captain, but I'll be alright." Scotty answered.

Captain Kirk did not answer. He was not sure how alright Scotty would be after he told him what had happened to Sabrina. He swallowed a knot in his throat and began with what he had so far.

"Scotty...the fire's been put out in Engineering."

"How bad's the damage, Captain?"

"Bad enough. We'll have to stop at Star Base 9 in order to make the necessary repairs in order to keep the ship steady and running efficiently. It'll give you time to rest and the others, too."

"I'll do whatever you want me to do in the meanwhile, Captain."

Captain Kirk licked his dry lips and swallowed again. This was the hard part now.

"Scotty...there's something that you should know." Captain Kirk began.

Scotty looked around suddenly then back at his commanding officer.

"Captain...where's Sabrina?" Scotty asked.

Captain Kirk was silent briefly. Hearing his chief engineer ask him about his deceased fiancée made the young captain forget what he was going to tell him in the first place.

"Scotty...Sabrina is…" Captain Kirk paused.

Scotty sat up a bit.

"Is she hurt, Captain?" Scotty asked worried.

"Not exactly," Captain Kirk answered. "During the fire, you collapsed from a severe cough attack."

"I know that, Captain. What about Sabrina?"

"What do you remember?"

"I remember helping somebody out of the room and beginning to cough like crazy...I could hardly breathe, Captain."

Captain Kirk hesitated to ask his next question, but it was necessary.

"Do you remember someone screaming inside the room, Scotty?" Captain Kirk asked.

Scotty looked blankly at Captain Kirk, as if he did not hear his commanding officer ask a question.

"Scotty...Sabrina got stuck inside the Engineering Room during the fire. I was forced to restrain you from going back in, while the fire team went in to take care of and put out the fire."

"Is she alright, Captain?"

Captain Kirk did not answer. He turned back to look at Spock for help. His second in command nodded gently. Understanding, the captain turned around and again spoke to Scotty.

"Scotty...Sabrina's gone."

"What do yah mean 'she's gone'?"

"Scotty...she didn't make it out in time...she was burned alive."

Scotty made no reaction for about a minute. His jaw was hanging, and his eyes were bugging out of his head. He finally shook his head slowly, trying to believe it was not true. That Sabrina would walk into the room at any moment now and tell him she was okay.

"No she ain't, Captain. She's not gone," Scotty said.

"I know you don't wanna believe it, but…" Scotty cut Captain Kirk off.

"She ain't dead, Captain! I spoke to her an hour ago!" Scotty cried, getting angry.

"You've been unconscious for two hours, Scotty. The fire's been put out now, and Sabrina was not found in the remains."

Scotty shook his head, fighting back tears.

"Captain...she ain't...she ain't gone, Captain...Tell me she's not gone!" Scotty begged.

"Lieutenant Giotto reported to us confirming it, Mr. Scott," Spock softly said.

"I grieve with thee, Scotty," Captain Kirk said softly.

"No! No, Captain, no!" Scotty wailed. He covered his eyes and started bawling. Captain Kirk reached forward and rubbed Scotty's shoulder gently. He could feel Scotty's pain and felt horrible for his friend. He wanted to do something to make him feel better, but there was nothing he could do but be there for him in his time in need.

* * *

Captain Kirk walked into Dr. McCoy's room exhausted and depressed. He was hoping his best friend would be able to make him feel better. He was thankful to find Dr. McCoy up and reading a book at his desk. The old doctor looked up and saw the look on Captain Kirk's face. He did not look happy. He rose from his seat and made his way to the young captain.

"Jim," He gasped. "What's wrong? Where's Julia?"

"Julia's fine, Bones. She's with Spock," Captain Kirk said, reassuring his friend that his infant daughter was safe and being cared for.

"Jim, you look like you haven't had sleep in days. What's going on? You were fine when I spoke to you not too long ago."

Captain Kirk was silent for a moment before answering.

"There was a fire in the Engineering Room just a few hours ago."

"My God, Jim! Is Scotty…" Captain Kirk cut Dr. McCoy off.

"No, Scotty's fine...as fine as he can be, that is."

The country doctor raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying, Jim?" Dr. McCoy asked.

"Sabrina didn't make it out in time, Bones...she was burned alive."

Dr. McCoy shook his head and was beginning to feel empathy.

"I'm sorry, Jim...Scotty must be a wreck."

"He's not good; I finally left, when Dr. M'Benga gave him a sedative to make him go to sleep. He just wouldn't stop crying...I've never seen Scotty so devastated in my life."

"Jim...the man just lost the love of his life...he has a right to be so sad."

"I know, Bones, I know."

"...is there...any other…"

"Everyone else is fine, Bones. The engineers got out with some minor damage done to their lungs, throats, and some burns and charred hair, but other than that, there were no other lives lost thankfully."

"What's Scotty's condition...physically, Jim?"

"Physically, he has a serious case of bronchitis and some damage to his lungs, but Dr. M'Benga's giving him medicine to hurry the recovery process along."

Dr. McCoy nodded and was briefly silent before speaking again.

"Will there be a memorial service for Sabrina, Jim?" Dr. McCoy asked.

"I'll have a private one once we get to Star Base 9." Captain Kirk answered.

"Star Base 9; I thought we were on our way to Galapos 4."

"The Engineering Room needs severe repairs done to it. The ship can't run efficiently nor safely until the repairs are done. I'll have to assign the engineers to other work until the Engineering Room is working again."

"I'm sorry, Jim...I wish I could do something to help."

Captain Kirk gave a sad smile.

"You can be there for Scotty when he needs comfort."

Dr. McCoy gave the same sad smile back and nodded.

"I will, Jim," He said softly.

Captain Kirk nodded and started heading off before he turned around quick, remembering something.

"Bones,"

"Yes, Jim,"

"Get some rest...Spock and I can take care of Julia for a couple days until you get some energy and strength back."

Dr. McCoy simply nodded and went back to reading, and Captain Kirk exited his friend's quarters sadly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

The Enterprise had arrived to Star Base 9 for repairs. Several Starfleet officers and workmen came aboard to fix the damages to the Engineering Room. While this went on, Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, Dr. M'Benga, Nurse Chapel, and several of Sabrina and Scotty's friends were in the presentation room for Sabrina's memorial service.

Captain Kirk and Spock had finished giving their eulogies, and Scotty spoke a little afterwards. Spock had gone off to inspect how the process in repairing the Engineering Room was going while everyone else stayed and socialized with one another. Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy holding Julia, who was drinking a bottle, sat with Scotty in chairs near the front of the stage and rubbed his back and talked to him, as he wiped his eyes and cried over his loss.

"I can't believe she's gone." Scotty sobbed.

Dr. McCoy looked at Scotty with sympathy.

"She'll always be with you, Scotty. In memory and spirit," The old doctor said.

"I'll never see her face again...I'll never hear her voice again." The Scotsman blubbered.

"Scotty, we're here if you need us," Captain Kirk said softly.

"I need Sabrina." Scotty cried.

"I know, Scotty...I know."

Scotty got to his feet and headed for the door to leave.

"Scotty, where are you going?" Captain Kirk asked worried.

"I need to go for a walk...I wanna be alone." Scotty mumbled. He walked out of the room and was gone within another second.

Captain Kirk sighed and turned to Dr. McCoy, who was patting Julia's back gently to help her not have any tummy troubles.

"Should we go after him, Bones?" Captain Kirk asked.

Dr. McCoy shook his head.

"Let him be, Jim. He needs some time to let it all sink in."

"I just feel awful for him."

"I know...he'll let us in when he's ready."

"How long could that be?"

"I'm just an old doctor, Jim. Everyone's different with grieving. I couldn't give you an exact answer."

Captain Kirk nodded. Both he and Dr. McCoy got to their feet and went to go talk to Sulu and see how he was doing.

* * *

Spock was on the second level of the Engineering Room examining the area. He had already checked the main area and found nothing too eye opening to him. He ignored the other men in their working, and they left the Vulcan alone, too.

Spock made his way to the end of the second floor and turned back with an eyebrow raised. Something did not seem quite right to him. He made his way over to one of the officers fixing one of the machines on the floor.

"Lieutenant, did you see anyone come in here and leave with something?" Spock questioned.

"No, Mr. Spock." He answered honestly. He turned to look at the rest of the group that was up there. "Any of you see someone up here and leave with something?"

The rest of the men shook their heads 'no'.

"Sorry, Mr. Spock," One man, an ensign, said.

"Quite alright, Ensign." Spock answered and climbed the ladder down onto the main floor again. Again, he asked someone if they had seen someone leave with something. None of the men said they had seen anyone leave with something in their hands.

Fascinated with his findings, he went to find the fire team and ask if they had removed anything from the scene of the fire. Again, he was told the same answer. The Vulcan was now skeptical of what exactly happened three days ago when the fire took place.

* * *

Captain Kirk was wandering the halls with Julia in his arms. He had Dr. McCoy return to his quarters and continue to get some more rest. He could see it in Dr. McCoy's eyes that he was still not ready to take care of Julia again. As much as the doctor missed his newborn, he knew that not taking care of himself would cause more danger for Julia and that's the last thing he wanted for his daughter.

The captain was thinking to himself. He wondered how he might be able to help Scotty move on from grieving. Of course, Scotty had only lost Sabrina about three days ago, but he wanted to do something to make his Chief Engineering Officer and one of his best friends to feel better again...but _what_ was the question.

As he continued thinking, Spock came down the hall and made his way to Captain Kirk's side.

"Captain," Spock said.

Captain Kirk looked up to his left and saw Spock walking besides him.

"Mr. Spock; how's the progress in Engineering going?" Captain Kirk asked.

"Going on expected schedule, Captain. I did, however, make a fascinating discovery while touring the room."

"What kind of fascinating discovery, Spock?" Captain Kirk asked, his eyebrow raised.

Spock gestured to go into the break room they were nearby. The captain and Vulcan entered into the room and sat down at the table. Captain Kirk turned to Spock, who was giving his commanding officer his undivided attention.

"What is it, Spock?" Captain Kirk asked.

"When I was in Engineering, Captain, I went in to collect the remains of Miss Medford's body. I did, however, find no remains." Spock began.

"Spock, I thought Sabrina was burned alive."

"Correct, Captain. However, small objects, such as teeth and smaller bones, are to survive in a fire...I found none of those during my visit."

"What's so fascinating about that, Spock? You sound suspicious of something."

"Negative, Captain. I am... _puzzled_ at such a finding."

"Puzzled; how so?"

"Captain, I am pointing out the fact that if there were no remains of Miss Medford's body, then I do not know if she was burned alive or not."

Captain Kirk leaned forward a little now, growing a bit suspicious himself. He was wondering what Spock was thinking.

"What are you saying, Spock?" Captain Kirk asked softly. He did not wish to wake up Julia.

"I'm saying, Captain, that Miss Medford was more than likely not killed by burning alive."

"If that didn't kill her, what did?"

Spock was silent for a brief moment before answering his commanding officer.

"I'm saying that I have reason to believe that Miss Medford might still be alive."

Captain Kirk's jaw dropped and stared at his second in command for the longest period of time.

"Might...still be alive? How?" Captain Kirk finally managed to ask.

"I do not know, Captain. The evidence that I have seen so far, though, suggests that she may still be living. I do not know in what condition, but it is possible that she managed to escape out of Engineering alive." Spock replied.

"Should we tell Scotty?"

"Negative, Captain; if my hypothesis turns out to be incorrect, it could cause far more damage to Mr. Scott's mental stability than he's already suffering from."

Captain Kirk nodded. That made sense.

"What about Dr. McCoy?"

"If that is what you wish, Captain."

"Alright. Until further notice, the only ones that know of this are you, I, and Bones. No one else, _especially_ Scotty."

"I will respect your wishes, Captain."

Captain Kirk turned his head and shook it softly. He was still in shock from what he had just heard.

"I can't believe Sabrina might still be alive...how do we tell Scotty if it _does_ turn out she's alive?" The young captain asked.

"We will come to that when and if we cross that bridge, as you Earthlings say it," Spock said.

Captain Kirk nodded and got to his feet. Spock followed suit. The two top in command left the briefing room, went off to find Dr. McCoy, and tell him what Spock had discovered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Two days went by, and Scotty had begun to seclude himself from others. He wanted to be alone and not wish to speak with anyone. He did his work on the Bridge, leave when done with his shift, and barricade himself in his quarters.

Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy had begun to grow worried for the engineer. His symptoms were beginning to be insomnia, severe depression, and lack of personality. Scotty was turning into a drained out human being that was becoming robotic. Sometimes the engineer went into a catatonic like state and would not say or do anything for hours.

Scotty sat at his station on the Bridge taking inventory on something. His skin was a slight more pale than usual and black circles were beginning to form around his eyes. He was in the middle of something, when he began hearing someone speak to him. It sounded like himself.

" _Come on, Scotty! Yah really gonna let these guys tell yah Sabrina's dead?! How would she feel knowing yer believing such lies?! Show them that yer not falling for such a sick joke,_ " the voice said.

 _Get it together, Scotty. You know what happened and what Captain Kirk told yerself. Just go back to work and ignore it_ , Scotty told himself. It became harder, when another voice started talking. It sounded like himself again.

" _Scotty, don't listen to him. Yah know Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock would never lie to yah, lad. Don't let this grief control yah. Sabrina wouldn't want it for yah. She loved yah too much to want yah to suffer so,_ " the second voice said.

Scotty turned to look to his left and gaped at his shoulder, seeing an angel sitting on his shoulder. It was of himself in a white Starfleet uniform shirt and had a slight glow to him.

"Don't let this guy tell yah what's right and wrong. It's alright to grieve for Sabrina, Scotty, but don't let it control yah. Don't let him tell yah otherwise," the angel version of himself said.

"Ha! I beg to differ," a snarky Scottish man said. Scotty turned to look to his right and saw himself in his normal Starfleet uniform, but he was holding a scythe and had a reddish tint to him. His eyes seemed to hold fire in them. "They're telling yah this crap to see yah collapse into an oblivion! Come on, Scotty; who are yah gonna listen to: _them_ or yerself?"

"Yah only trying to hurt him! Yah want to see him lose it altogether!" The angel hissed.

"Oh, says the one that can't even think of good comebacks. Hahahahahahahaha!" The devil cackled.

"Yer an evil, twisted madman, yah know that?"

"That's what I _love_ about me, laddie!" The devil laughed wickedly some more.

"I got work here to do. Now if yah wouldn't mind," Scotty said, and tried to go back to work.

"Yah can't ignore us, Scotty! Eventually yah have to answer to one of us," The devil said, with callous.

"Take all the time yah need, lad. Yah just lost the love of yer life, after all. No decision is needed right now," The angel said, friendly.

"I can take away yer pain right now, Scotty. All yah have to do is listen to me." The devil prodded.

"How dare yah! Trying to persuade the man when he just lost his fiancée!" The angel snapped back.

"He didn't lose her! She's alive, I tell yah. And I can prove it, too!"

"Both of yah; knock it off!" Scotty barked.

"Mr. Scott," A familiar voice said.

Scotty turned in his chair and saw both Sulu and Chekov looking at him concerned.

"Are you alright, Mr. Scott?" Sulu asked.

Scotty glared at both of them viciously.

"What are all of yah looking at?! Get back to work!" Scotty snarled. He rose from his seat and stormed off the Bridge, as Captain Kirk, carrying Julia, and Spock were coming on.

"Scotty! Where are you going?" Captain Kirk asked.

Scotty did not answer and left the Bridge through the turbo lift.

Captain Kirk stood there shocked for a long while before turning to face Spock.

"Spock, what the devil just happened?" Captain Kirk asked, worried.

"I know as much as you do, Captain," Spock said.

The captain turned to look at Sulu and Chekov, who were still staring in shock of what just happened. Not once had Scotty ever snapped at any of them. He was never the one to get ornery and storm out on anybody.

"Mr. Sulu, what happened?" Captain Kirk ordered.

"I heard Mr. Scott yelling at someone and asked if something was wrong. He just yelled at us to get back to work and stormed out of the Bridge." Sulu reported.

"I saw the same thing, Captain." Chekov added.

Captain Kirk turned to Spock for an answer.

"Mr. Scott sounds as if he is beginning to suffer from hallucinations, Captain." Spock reported.

"Hallucinations! Impossible! Mr. Scott is perfectly healthy! He's not sick!" Captain Kirk persisted defensively.

"Captain...the man has just lost his fiancée in a tragic, unexpected fire. He is not able to come to his senses and be able to understand what has happened in result."

"Scotty's not sick! I refuse to believe it, Spock."

"Mr. Scott is suffering, Captain...you must realize this in order to help him recover from his loss."

Captain Kirk was silent and sighed heavily. First Scotty's future wife is killed in a horrific fire in Engineering, now his Chief Engineering Officer and best friend was slowly becoming mentally unstable.

"Spock...is there a chance we can...still help him?" Captain Kirk asked, softly.

"I believe if he is taken care of immediately, he can be helped, Captain, yes." Spock answered.

There was a moment of silence before Julia started crying in a high pitch squeal. Captain Kirk looked at Julia and started swaying her back and forth gently and hushed her.

"Is your tummy hurting again? Yeah, I know...I know," Captain Kirk said, softly.

Julia continued crying.

* * *

Scotty was wandering around on deck four. He looked disoriented and had clouded over eyes. He seemed to be disconnected with reality and living in his own world. He continued walking, then stopped and stared at something. There was a figure standing before him, looking at him blankly. It was Sabrina. She did not look happy nor sad to see Scotty. She just seemed to stand there zombie like.

Scotty cocked his head slightly to the left, as if it would give him a better look at what he was seeing.

"...Sabrina," he finally gasped.

Sabrina did not respond. She remained still and lifeless. All she did was simply stare back at him.

Scotty did nothing, at first. He slowly started walking towards her to see if she would respond to him. She remained lifeless and still. Absolutely nothing came out of her mouth and no movement whatsoever.

"Sabrina...is it you, lass?" Scotty begged.

No answer.

"Sabrina, can yah hear me, darling?"

Nothing.

"Scotty," A voice from behind said.

He did not turn around.

"Scotty!"

No response.

The man finally grabbed Scotty's shoulder and spun him around to face him. It was Dr. McCoy. The old doctor's jaw slightly hung and stared at Scotty. He hardly recognized his best friend anymore. Scotty was pale, black circles around his eyes, and did not even look like he was living in the real world anymore. He gently shook his head not believing his sight. He held Scotty's shoulders gently in his hands.

"My God...Scotty...what happened to you," Dr. McCoy barely said.

Scotty did not answer. He continued to look like he was off in another world.

Captain Kirk and Spock turned a corner and saw Dr. McCoy with Scotty. Captain Kirk handed Julia to Spock and hurried to Dr. McCoy. The old doctor stepped out of the way and let Captain Kirk grab Scotty by the shoulders. Captain Kirk could only shake his head in shock and fought back as hard as he could from losing it.

"Scotty…" Captain Kirk quivered. "...why?"

"Captain…" Scotty gasped. He swallowed a knot in his throat. "...she's here."

"Who is? Scotty, who's here?"

"She's right behind me."

"There's no one behind you, Scotty. Who's here?"

Scotty did not answer.

"Scotty," Captain Kirk said.

No response.

"Scotty! You gotta snap out of it!" Captain Kirk ordered.

Nothing.

Captain Kirk looked at Scotty a moment longer, then turned to Spock.

"Spock, hand Julia to Dr. McCoy and go find Dr. M'Benga now. Tell him it's an emergency!" Captain Kirk commanded.

"Yes, Captain," Spock said. The Vulcan handed the sleeping newborn to Dr. McCoy, who took her willingly, then ran off to find the current CMO and bring him to the scene.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Dr. McCoy sat in a chair in Sickbay holding Julia close to him. He was glad to hold his daughter again in his arms. With everything going on with Scotty, he was even more grateful to be with her.

Spock was standing besides Dr. McCoy, and Captain Kirk was pacing nervously around the office. Dr. M'Benga had been in with Scotty for over three hours, and it was starting to make the young captain develop worst case scenarios inside his brain. He hoped it was none of them, but his mind was in overdrive. Out of all people, he wondered, why did this have to happening to such a nice, honest, and loyal man like Scotty? The Scotsman never did anything to hurt anybody. He was there when a friend needed him, encouraged the younger and newer Starfleet members on board, always obeyed orders and never questioned them...it just did not make sense in his brain.

Dr. McCoy looked up at Captain Kirk and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Jim, you're gonna drive yourself mad if you keep that up," He said softly.

"Better me than Scotty." Captain Kirk replied.

"Captain, I believe Mr. Scott would not want you to be making yourself ill, had he still been in normal mental states," Spock said.

"I could be losing my best Engineering Officer as we speak...I might be losing one of my best friends." Captain Kirk croaked. His mouth had suddenly become dry.

"Jim," Dr. McCoy began. He could not finish, since Dr. M'Benga came out of the room. He was attacked by Captain Kirk and his millions of questions.

"How is he? Will he be alright? Can I see him?"

Dr. M'Benga was silent briefly.

"Mr. Scott is sick... _very_ sick." The young doctor answered.

"With what, Geoff?" Dr. McCoy asked softly.

"I believe Mr. Scott is suffering from something known as complicated grief."

"Complicated grief; what is that? Is it serious?" Captain Kirk asked.

"It's a mental illness from result of the sudden loss of a loved one. Symptoms can range from severe depression to thoughts of killing oneself." Dr. M'Benga reported. "Mr. Scott is suffering from insomnia, rapid mood swings, hallucinations, and periods of being in a catatonic like state."

"Can you help him, Doctor?"

"I can do as much as I am limited to. No one can cure a mental illness completely."

"How long will it last?"

Dr. M'Benga looked up to Dr. McCoy, saying something to his boss with his eyes.

"Jim...it could last for the rest of his life," Dr. McCoy sadly said.

"Forever..." Captain Kirk gasped.

"I'm sorry, Jim."

Captain Kirk swallowed a knot in his throat and nodded slowly.

"Can I see him?" Captain Kirk asked softly.

"I'd prefer to have him sleep for a while. Perhaps his symptoms will improve, if he gets some well deserved rest," Dr. M'Benga said.

"Doctor…" Captain Kirk paused. "Make him better again."

"I will do whatever I can for him, Captain." Dr. M'Benga answered.

Captain Kirk nodded and sadly sulked out of the room followed by Spock and Dr. McCoy.

* * *

Sulu was on break and walking around on deck seven. He was headed to his quarters to rest for a while, when he stopped and stared at a mere breathtaking site. Sabrina, Scotty's supposed deceased fiancée, was walking off in another direction. She seemed to be making sure no one else saw her. Sulu silently snuck up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Sabrina screamed and jumped around to see Sulu behind her.

"Sabrina...how did you...you're supposed to be...where are you...what are you doing here?" Sulu gasped.

"Mr. Sulu, I have to go. If someone sees me, who knows what'll happen." Sabrina begged.

She tried walking away, when Sulu grabbed her tight in his arms.

"Not without an explanation." Sulu ordered. He wanted to know what Sabrina was up to and now. Didn't this woman realize what she was doing to Scotty?

"Help! Captain Kirk! Help me!" Sabrina screeched.

Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy were making procedure check outs of the decks, when they heard the screeching. The three jumped and turned in the direction it was coming from.

"What in blazes was that?!" Dr. McCoy demanded.

The three of them started sprinting to where the noise was coming from and almost fainted, when they saw Sulu holding a squirming Sabrina in his arms.

"Mr. Sulu, let her go!" Captain Kirk ordered.

Sulu did as Captain Kirk told him. Sabrina turned to face Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy, all who were watching her carefully.

"That'll be all, Mr. Sulu. If you'll excuse us, I would like to see Miss Medford for some _intensive_ questioning." Captain Kirk snarled, looking at Sabrina.

"Yes, Captain." Sulu replied, and continued on his way to his quarters.

Captain Kirk approached Sabrina slowly. His eyes were burning with flames engulfing them. Spock and Dr. McCoy's eyes held the same message. Spock's face was impassive, being the only difference.

"What the devil do you think you're doing, Miss Medford? You think this is some kinda joke?" Captain Kirk ordered.

"Captain Kirk, I'm not playing a game! I'm trying to keep out of trouble." Sabrina pleaded.

"Out of trouble; is _that_ what you think this is? Why didn't you report to anyone after the fire?!"

"Everyone thinks I'm dead, Captain. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Do you realize what you're doing to Mr. Scott? He's lying in Sickbay ailing right at this moment all because you didn't come to me and report you were alright after the fire in Engineering!"

"Scotty...what's wrong with him?!"

"He's sick...sick from complicated grief, all of which you gave him! The man could be sick for the rest of his life!"

"Complicated grief...what is that?"

"A serious mental illness caused by the unexpected loss of someone's loved one. Their mind begins to shut down and do twisted things to them mentally: hallucinations, delusions, insomnia, refusing to eat, isolation, dehydration, catatonic like states, all of which Mr. Scott are currently suffering from!" Dr. McCoy hissed.

"No!" Sabrina wailed. "No, no, no! Captain Kirk, make him better!"

"I _can't_! Dr. M'Benga is not even sure if _he_ can cure Mr. Scott of his illness," Captain Kirk said harsh.

Sabrina started screaming and collapsed to the ground crying. Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy had never heard such a noise in their life. It sounded like a mountain lion screeching in pain.

"I did this _because_ I didn't want that to happen!" Sabrina bawled.

Captain Kirk began to soften, seeing how much discomfort Sabrina was in. He was beginning to understand why Sabrina did what she did. He turned around to look at Spock and Dr. McCoy. Dr. McCoy's face had softened, too. He nodded gently, as he started swaying back and forth with Julia in his arms.

"She's our answer, Jim," Dr. McCoy said gently.

Captain Kirk nodded back and got down on his knees. He took Sabrina's face in his hands and wiped a tear or two off her cheeks. The sobbing lieutenant looked up at her commanding officer. Her eyes were wet and red.

"Miss Medford...you should go to Sickbay...visit with Scotty," Captain Kirk softly said.

"NO! I'll kill him!" Sabrina cried.

"You won't harm him, my dear. In fact, it might snap Scotty back into reality," Dr. McCoy said comforting.

Sabrina's mouth quivered and continued crying softly. She felt awful... _worse_ than awful. She felt absolute dishonor of herself. She had cause Scotty, the man she loved more than life, to become mentally ill...and was now informed that he may never recover again from it.

"I'll never forgive myself, if Scotty never gets better...I won't forgive myself, if he _does_ get better." She whimpered.

"Knowing Mr. Scott, I am positive that he would not wish for you to torture yourself so, Miss Medford," Spock said softly.

Sabrina wiped her eyes, and Captain Kirk helped her to her feet. Sabrina leaned against the captain and kept crying softly. Captain Kirk wrapped an arm around her and helped walk her to the nearest turbo lift with Dr. McCoy and Spock following behind them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

The doors to Sickbay opened, and the four Starfleet officers entered into the office. Dr. M'Benga looked up from Dr. McCoy's desk, and his eyes almost fell out of his head seeing Sabrina walk in.

"Miss Medford!" He gasped.

Captain Kirk held up a hand.

"It's a long story I will explain later...how's Scotty?" Captain Kirk asked.

"Awake...sort of," Dr. M'Benga said.

"What does that mean?" Sabrina whimpered. She had stopped crying for now.

"Mr. Scott has gone into a catatonic like state. He won't respond to anyone or anything. I think his mental stability is rapidly declining. If it continues to do so at this rate...I don't know _what_ Mr. Scott will come to: a coma, insanity, homicidal, suicidal, psychopathic...all things that are considered a nightmare." The young doctor reported.

Sabrina almost collapsed had it not been for Captain Kirk catching her. She screamed a blood curdling shriek, buried her face into the captain's shirt, and started bawling again.

"Can she see him?" Captain Kirk asked.

Dr. M'Benga did not answer for a long time.

"I don't know...I don't know how Mr. Scott will respond to it. It could put him in a worse state than he's already in."

" _Please_ , Dr. M'Benga...let me see my Scotty!" Sabrina begged.

Dr. M'Benga could not say 'no' to her. She seemed to be in as much pain as Scotty was in. He softly nodded and gestured to Scotty's room.

Sabrina sprinted from the three Starfleet officers and stopped at the doorway of Scotty's room. She almost screamed at the sight she saw. Scotty was lying in bed staring at nothing. His color had returned and the rings around his eyes had faded, regaining some needed sleep. His eyes were still clouded over and disconnected from real life.

Sabrina slowly approached Scotty's bedside and once she reached him, she sat down quietly beside him and looked at his eyes closely. It was like Scotty did not even recognize her being there. That he was too busy zoning out on something else in a far away land that only he could see and visit. The young lieutenant swallowed a knot forming in her throat and started talking to her future husband, praying to God that it would make him better and bring him back to her again.

"Scotty...it's me...I'm here, honey. I'm not leaving your side for one minute." She croaked. Any louder, and she would start to cry again. "Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy are here, too. There outside in the main area with Dr. M'Benga...he's a good doctor, and he's gonna take good care of you." Sabrina's voice was starting to quiver and shake. Tears fell down her face as she continued. "Please come back to me, Scotty...I'm so sorry I hurt you like this...I'll never forgive myself...never, never, never."

Sabrina started to softly cry, as she took hold of Scotty's hand and held it tight in hers.

After a brief minute or so, Scotty blinked his eyes a few times. He shook his head gently like he was trying to wake himself up, lifted his head off the pillow, then turned to the right of him. He gasped silently, when he saw Sabrina sitting there besides him. He could hardly find any of the words at first, until he finally found enough courage to speak softly.

"Sabrina?"

Sabrina lifted her head up and gasped, seeing that Scotty was looking at her. The clouded over look in his eyes seemed to be fading.

"Scotty...is it really you?" Sabrina asked hopeful. As dumb as it sounded, neither one of them could care about it less at the moment. There were bigger things that mattered at hands.

Scotty shot up from lying down and slowly grabbed hold of Sabrina's arms.

"Sabrina...is it really you, lass?" Scotty pleaded.

Sabrina nodded.

"Oh, Scotty..." She wept.

Scotty and Sabrina hugged one another tight in their arms. They both started to cry and kiss one another. They were overwhelmed being back together again.

After about four minutes of purely sobbing tears of joy, hugging, and kissing one another, Scotty and Sabrina pulled away from one another and continued talking to each other.

"Sabrina," Scotty gasped smiling. "How did yah survive? I thought yah burned to death, darling!"

"There was a vent I crawled out through before it collapsed onto itself. When I heard everyone talking about that I had died being burned alive, I panicked and went into hiding. I didn't know what else to do, Scotty...then Captain Kirk found out and told me what was happening with you...I nearly died." Sabrina quivered.

"Oh, Sabrina...I'm just so glad yer alright!"

Sabrina smiled.

"Me too," She said softly.

Both looked into each others eyes, lost in their own world. They did not notice Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy enter in and looking at them while smiling.

"Well," Captain Kirk said beaming. "Looks like the wedding's back on, aren't I right, Mr. Scott?"

Scotty and Sabrina turned to face Captain Kirk, finally realizing there were other people in the room. The Scotsman blushed and hung his head slightly.

"Aw gee, Captain." Scotty murmured.

Sabrina could not help but giggle.

Dr. McCoy chuckled softly and started swaying Julia in his arms. He looked down at Julia and smiled, seeing his little girl looking back up at him with her little blue eyes. She seemed to be smiling at him, which made him chuckle again.

Captain Kirk looked over at the new father and gave a small smile.

"She hasn't been crying for quite a while, now," Captain Kirk said.

Dr. McCoy looked up and grinned at his friend.

"She hasn't, has she?" He replied beaming.

After exchanging a few more smiles, Dr. McCoy, Spock, and Captain Kirk all gathered around Scotty and Sabrina and watched the soon to be married couple reunite with one another, then welcomed back the beloved Chief Engineering Officer they had missed dearly.


End file.
